National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania

Results are reported on the characterization of 200-250 nm thick TiO(x) transparent films grown at temperatures of 150 degrees C and 500 degrees C by reactive pulsed-laser ablation of a metallic Ti target under 0.13-13.3 Pa oxygen atmosphere. Film structure and composition were investigated by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The samples deposited at 150 degrees C reveal a mixture of amorphous TiO(2) and Ti(2)O(3), irrespective of oxygen pressure. The O:Ti atomic ratio fluctuates in their surface around 1.83 for oxygen pressure ranging between 0.13 Pa and 2.66 Pa. The samples deposited at 500 degrees C feature different characteristics, as a function of oxygen pressure: (a) below 2.66 Pa of O(2) the films contain a mixture of significant amount of anatase and rutile TiO(2) phases, along with titanium suboxides; (b) above this threshold, the rutile phase vanishes, the anatase TiO(2) phase remaining dominant along with small amounts of nanocrystalline suboxides. The size of the anatase nanocrystallites decreases with the increase of oxygen pressures. The samples deposited at 500 degrees C feature a slight improvement of surface stoichiometry, from roughly TiO(1.8) to TiO(1.9). The films deposited at high substrate temperature and oxygen pressure are highly hydrophilic. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thin layers of Fe are deposited at 100 degrees C on GaAs(1 0 0) and InAs(1 0 0) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. These structures are characterized by photoelectron spectroscopy (PES), in order to derive their chemical composition and interface reactivity, and by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) recorded at room temperature in remanence mode, in order to derive the atomic magnetic moment of Fe. As previously reported, Fe/GaAs(1 0 0) exhibits a strong and complicated interface reactivity, with considerable intermixing of Fe with Ga and As. Unlike the above structure, Fe/InAs(1 0 0) exhibits a much lower interface reactivity, whereas the Fe magnetic moment increase is much more pronounced as function of Fe thickness. The total atomic ferromagnetic moment reaches at room temperature 2.0 Bohr magnetons by about I nm Fe effective thickness, which is almost the Fe bcc bulk value (2.2 Bohr magnetons). The novelty of the present study is a direct comparison of the two interfaces prepared and measured in the same experimental arrangements. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The hydrophilicity of RF sputtered thin films of: (a) pure TiO2 and (b) TiO2 doped with 0.3% Ce, 0.4% Nb, and 0.4% N (atomic percents) was investigated macroscopically by measurements of the contact angle between water and film surface. The results are discussed in terms of the connection of the hydrophilic and photocatalytic properties of the materials with their structure, morphology and optical characteristics. The 280 nm thick films were deposited on optical glass substrates at 250 degrees C. Film structure and surface morphology were investigated by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. The surface roughness was derived from atomic force microscopy and ellipsometric data. The contact angle of de-ionized water with film surface was monitored during photo-activation and after irradiating with near-UV light. The surface super-hidrophilicity of all the investigated samples decays, when samples are kept in darkness for 48 h after irradiation. The hydrophilic behavior of the doped TiO2 thin films is discussed in terms of the effects of surface roughness, phase transformations enhanced by doping and charge carrier recombination. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.

Epitaxial Pb(Zr,Ti)O-3 (PZT) thin films with thicknesses in the range of 50-200 nin and with 0.2 Zr/(Zr + Ti) ratio, were grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The substrates used for PLD deposition are single crystalline 0.5% Nb-doped (1 0 0)SrTiO3 (STON). SrRuO3 (SRO) thin films were deposited as bottom and top electrodes in order to have minimum structural misfit, to insure on one side high quality growth, and on the other side to minimize the influence of the ext,ended structural defects. Structural and electrical characterization was performed. The epitaxial PZT films are c-axis oriented and have an average roughness of 0.4 nm. The ferroelectric behavior was proved in all investigated films by the presence of the hysteresis loops and by the butterfly shape of the capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics. The ferroelectricity was present even in the samples with relative high leakage currents, down to a thickness of 50 nm. These results are essential when small thickness is needed for miniaturization of ferroelectric devices using PZT. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Near surface disposal is considered a suitable option for the disposal of short-lived low and intermediate level waste (LILW) containing radionuclides which decay to insignificant radiation levels within a few decades or centuries. LILW containing limited concentrations of long-lived radionuclides may also be disposed of in near surface facilities. The main radionuclides in short lived LILW are Cs-137 and Sr-90 and therefore, a period of 300 years for the post-closure institutional controls would correspond to about ten half-lives of these radionuclides. The longer-lived radionuclides, such as C-14, I-129, Tc-99 will continue to be released even after that period due to the engineering barriers degradation. The paper presents the post closure radiological impact of LIL waste disposal due to the C-14, one of the long life radionuclides presented in the LILW generated at Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant.

X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analysis was performed on Ti/oxidized GaAs. This interface is prepared by chemical etching in a mixture of reagents, followed by a vacuum deposition of a nanometer Ti layer. The surface sensitivity of XPS (typically 40-100 angstrom), makes the technique ideal for the measurements of oxidation states and oxide layer thickness on III-V compounds. The study of Ti/oxidized GaAs put into evidence a lack of stoichiometry at the semiconductor surface due to the presence of a volatile element (As). At the interface Ti/Oxide/n-GaAs common oxides are present: Ga2O3, As2O3 and As2O5, together with titanium oxide. The XPS spectra recorded on the sample surface sputtered with 5 keV Ar+ ions (in two steps: t = 15 min, t = 45 min) were analyzed using SDP subroutines program facilities. The As signal at the interface after t = 15 min plasma etching is related to GaAs, As2O3 and over 40% from a GaAs oxidation complex or due to intermetallic oxide of Ti. After the last plasma etching at the surface of GaAs the stoichiometry was demonstrated: the signal of As and Ga arises commonly from GaAs. It was remarked a broader titanium line profile, which arises from titanium oxide and from different intermediate states at the interface.

CdMnS ternary alloys have attracted much attention because they permit to tune the energy gap, the effective mass and the lattice constant by varying the concentration of the magnetic material. Growth and physical characterization of Cd1-xMnxS thin films, prepared in different conditions on glass and silicon substrates by thermal evaporation technique is presented. The starting powders, CdS and Mn, were mixed in a crucible in various molar ratios. The samples were characterized by XRD, AFM and XPS. The blue shift of band gap of thin films might be ascribed to the size effect of the small grains and to the fact that Cd was substituted by Mn in the CdS structure.

Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) has increasingly become an important compound-semiconductor material suited for high speed digital circuits, microwaves and detectors for high energy physics. For the fabrication of ohmic contacts on GaAs (semi-insulating- SI) wafers with characteristics as: Cr doped, (100) oriented, and p similar to 10(6)similar to 10(7) Omega cm, has been used alloyed contact Au-Ge. The ohmic film was deposited in a high vacuum chamber (10(-8) Torr), on a plasma etched surface of GaAs, followed by a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at 450 degrees C in low vacuum. For the fabrication of the rectifying contact-respectively the Schottky diode structure, we have used the same GaAs substrates. The wafers were degreased in a standard cleaning procedure, followed by a chemical etching. The Au-Ti contact has been deposited by thermal evaporation in vacuum (10(-6) torr) followed by a RFA procedure at 300-320 degrees C. The carrier transport mechanisms through M/S interface are strongly influenced by the doping concentration in the semiconductor and temperature. There are presented the experimental I-V characteristics for selected samples in dark and illumination conditions. Schottky barriers height on Au-Ti/GaAs was 0.7325 V in accord with mean values on n and p type GaAs (0.5-0.8 V). The aim of this work is to fabricate a competitive X-ray detector.

X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) was used to investigate the chemical state of ZrC coatings deposited by cathodic arc method. A chemistry model of the ZrC films has been proposed. It was pointed out that on the films surface a highly oxidized passive layer, containing also carbon and oxygen as contaminants, was formed. The film bulk was composed by a mixture of ZrC (the dominant phase), ZrO2 and free carbon.

Single layer TiAlN and alternate TiN/TiAlN multilayered hard coatings were deposited on Si, plain carbon steel and high-speed steel substrates by the cathodic are technique. Chemical composition, phase composition, texture, Vickers microhardness, adhesion, bilayer period, sliding friction coefficient and wear resistance were investigated by XPS, EDX and XRD analyses, microhardness measurements, scratch and tribological tests.